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Waiting for Dorian

August 30, 2019

As I write this, Hurricane Dorian is churning northwest across the Atlantic, taking direct aim at Green Turtle Cay and the other northern Bahamian islands. Predictions are that the storm could reach Category 3 or even 4 strength by the time it passes over the Bahamas on Sunday.

Though neither Tom nor I are on Green Turtle Cay at the moment, our amazing property managers Michael and Jennifer Sawyer of Abaco Breeze Properties have ensured that Fish Hooks is closed up tight and ready for Dorian. We’ve been in touch with a number of our friends and family members in Abaco, and everyone’s busy boarding up and battening down.

Yesterday, Bluff Houseposted on their Facebook pagethat they’ve closed early for the season: “Guests took flights out, the marina is empty and staff went home to their families. Now all we can do is stand by…and drink a few Tranquil Turtle Rum Punches!”

To eliminate debris that could blow around and injure people or damage structures, Green Turtle Cay is holding a town clean up this afternoon (August 30.)

Whether you’re in the Bahamas or the U.S., here are a few timely reminders from the Bahamas National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).

And please don’t forget your four-legged friends. Bring animals inside if at all possible, and be sure to stock up on food, water and medications for them as well.

For updates as Dorian approaches, here are some links that may be helpful:

For those in Dorian’s path, please take this storm seriously. Make the necessary preparations and be safe. If you can, keep in touch and let me know how you’re doing. I’ll post and share any photos or updates I receive.

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9 comments for “Waiting for Dorian”

Reggie Patterson

August 30, 2019 at 6:09 am

Amanda, like you, I am far from Abaco, and it is absolutely nerve-wracking, this waiting, watching the Weather Channel constantly, and not knowing what is going to happen. We are in PA, on our annual summer sojourn to cooler climes. I don’t know if you have ever been through a bad hurricane, but I experienced Floyd and several others, and seeing the raw power of nature is traumatizing, to say the least. I’ll never forget the way the wind howled. Now, all I can do is call my son, my employees, etc., and give instructions and advice And pray a lot. We all have things back on Abaco we love, and want to keep safe. Lets just pray real hard that this is not another ’32.

Reggie, I feel for you. It’s such a strange feeling — being relieved not to be in physical danger, but feeling so helpless while you just watch and wait. I’ve not been through a storm as bad as this one, thankfully, but I am so afraid for our family and friends who are in Dorian’s path. Please keep in touch and let me know if you hear anything. I will do the same.

Hi, Bill. Your best bet is probably to keep in touch with the airlines — they will know once the airports will be open. (And their phones will probably be up when all the local numbers in Abaco are down, which is highly likely to happen fairly early on.) If/when I find out, I’ll certainly post the information.

Amanda please know we are thinking about you and hoping that your friends and family are managing as best they can. Devastating. We feel helpless. Can’t imagine what you’re going through.
Bill & Georgy

Bill & Georgy, thank you so much for your note. The news is so very bad. Total devastation. But at least on Green Turtle Cay, everyone is safe and accounted for at this point, and that’s what’s most important. Everything else is replaceable. Sending love to you both.

Got photos of Abaco you'd like to share with LHBTF readers? Send them to amanda (at) littlehousebytheferry (dot) com. You'll get full photo credit as well as a link back to your personal or business website.

This blog represents the convergence of some of my favourite things – writing, Bahamian history, Green Turtle Cay, and Fish Hooks, my ancestral home. Here, I share our Abaco adventures and document the restoration of Fish Hooks, an 84-yr-old cottage built by my great-grandparents on Green Turtle Cay, one of the Abaco Cays in the Bahamas.